Chōshōjo Reiko

Chōshōjo Reiko (Japanese: 超少女REIKO) (lit. 'Supernatural Power Girl REIKO') is a 1991 Japanese film written and directed by Takao Okawara.^[1]

Prior to working on Chōshōjo Reiko, director Takao Okawara worked as an assistant director at Toho, often pitching ideas for a script that were ignored.^[2] Okawara decided to develop a story and enter it into a competition; he hoped that if he won, the story would get better attention from upper staff at Toho.^[2] Okawara developed a story that he stated had a "sellable script" aimed at teenage audiences, which persuaded him to include a fantasy element of extrasensory perception.^[2] He submitted his story to the Kido Awards, where it won second place.^[2] This influenced Toho to allow Okawara to direct it.^[2]

The film's cast included Arisa Mizuki, who was an unknown actress at the time and would be known as a supermodel by 2000.^[2] Okawara described the shooting of the film as difficult, stating that the film's low budget did not allow him to have a special effects director, making him perform both duties himself.^[2]

Chōshōjo Reiko was distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho on November 16, 1991.^[1] Norman England of Fangoria stated the film failed to find an audience in Japan, referring to it as a "box-office dud."^[2] Producer Shōgo Tomiyama felt that despite the film's failure at the box office, its quality was good enough to allow Okawara to direct later films in the Godzilla film series.^[2]

Arisa Mizuki won the "Newcomer of the Year" award at the Japanese Academy Awards for her role in the film.^[3]

• List of Japanese films of 1991

• Chōshōjo Reiko at IMDb